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Sunday, September 26, 2010

Homemade Gourmet Apples: Make Your Own Monday #38

This week it will be October. Can you believe it? That means that Thanksgiving and Christmas and all that those wonderfully hectic holidays bring will be upon us before we know it. Have you thought about gifts? Me, either. I have so many projects going on with this blog and real life that I haven't given it a lot of thought.

I had a friend years ago that used to make gourmet apples every fall to sell at bazaars and to give as gifts. She always started with huge Granny Smith apples and used only higher end chocolates and caramels. Her apples weighed over 2 pounds by the time she was done and they were much sought after by all who knew her. I looked online to see if they are still popular...and they are. They retail for at least $12 and up to $19 before shipping! You can make these for much cheaper at home. What great gifts they'd be for friends, teachers and neighbors.

Watch for caramels to go on clearance after Halloween. You can usually find them for 75% off a week or two after Oct. 31. Chocolate chips are due to be going on sale as all grocery stores gear up for baking season. Nuts will be cheaper, too. Look for sales and these babies will not cost you much at all to make.

You will need:

firm, fresh apples (no bruises, no odd shapes)

clean popsicle sticks

1 bag caramels (or more if desired)

2 Tbsp water for every bag of caramels

chocolate or other flavored chips

nuts, M&Ms, sprinkles or whatever you can think of

Stick the popsicle sticks into the apples at the blossom end.

Melt the caramels with water in a saucepan, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat. Holding the apple by the wooden stick, twirl the apple in the caramel to coat. Let the excess drip back into the pan. Let sit on a buttered plate or cookie sheet to cool slightly.

(note: this was not a dipped caramel apple, I molded the warmed caramels around the apples, but this is Not recommended as it does not stick to the apple and after the entire thing is made, the entire coating slips off the skin....not a pleasant end for all of that hard work...however this is the only picture I took at this stage, so you have to use a little imagination.)

Melt chocolate chips in the microwave or in a double boiler. Dip the apple into the chocolate and twirl the apple to coat with chocolate. Roll it in the nuts, if desired. Let cool slightly and roll in chocolate again...or another flavor of melted chips. Coat with sprinkles or shaved chocolate or candy pieces. Store in the fridge.

18 comments:

Kristen these look like the ones I saw in the Galveston Candy shop window recently and they want about $13 each so good to know the same ones can be made at home for much less! I've always wanted to attempt these, maybe now I will.

I can't believe it is going to be October either - where is the time going?!

I love the look of these apples - that is a really great recipe. Now I just have to hunt down some caramels - I remember them from growing up in Canada and they are hard to find here in England (ours are a different texture and don't melt very well) - but I definitely need to find some!!!

I love, love, love, love caramel apples! I'm so glad you explained why just pressing the warm caramel around the apple wasn't a good idea because as soon as I saw the picture I planned on trying it. I guess I'll take the long way and make them like you did. Yum! Thanks for sharing your recipe.

This is a beautiful candied apple! I tried making homemade ones once and after 30 minutes half the caramel had slid down the apple and ended in a gooey pile on my pan. I am not sure how to prevent this from happening again, but I am definitely willing to try! These babies are expensive to buy at our Christmas fair, so thanks for the recipe!